


Trees and Hidden Arms

by Kimium



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Accidental Spying, Gen, Henry!Inigo, Hint at Revelations Route, Hinted Xanlow, Mild hint of canon typical violence, Near death experiences via falling, Oneshot, POV shift, Part one in Awakening universe, Slightly non-linear timeline, Soft secret reveal, Spirit Pacts, magic tattoos, spirit pact au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimium/pseuds/Kimium
Summary: One Shot. Spirit Pact AU. Hint of Revelations Route."Light shone from the being, both blinding and dark before it shrunk and seemed to draw in itself, like smoke being funneled away. The skin of Inigo’s arm burned for moment before fading away with a zip of light. The orchid was still and the trees still loomed darkly over Inigo. Nothing was out of place."and"Despite the fact that the weather had only just taken a dip towards cooler temperatures Laslow was somehow clad in more layers than needed."In where Inigo makes many pacts with many spirits and Laslow wears far too many layers. Somewhere down the line there is a cliff involved.
Relationships: Lazward | Laslow & Marx | Xander, Lazward | Laslow/Marx | Xander
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	Trees and Hidden Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!!!
> 
> I've recently began to casually play the mobile game Obey Me. I always find otome games fun and a light distraction from some heavier story and game play elements other games I play have. On my tumblr I saw some great fanart of Solomon with tattoos covering his entire body to signal all the pacts he's made. I instantly wanted to write a fic with that core image since it's my entire Jam.
> 
> I decided to focus this fic entirely on Laslow. I do have multiple ideas for Odin and Selena, who also have spirits but I didn't really feel like mentioning them in this fic extensively. Perhaps later I'll write their stories (and you can meet Odin's spirits which does include a goopy Ditto like spirit named "The Glorious Doombringer" curtesy of ObscureReference and I chatting about this fic).
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy this story! As always feel free to leave kudos and or comments as those really make my day. Also if you want you can check out my tumblr. Link is right [here](http://www.kimium.tumblr.com).

**Part One: Pacts**

Inigo waited until it was midnight before he strolled hastily and cautiously into the forest. Above him the sky was covered in opaque, dark grey clouds. The moon, if it even was in the sky, was hidden behind the clouds, barely a sliver of silver light able to pass through. All around him the world was dark, trees looming precariously in the distance, a mass of tall spiney dark spines rising from the earth. Bushes puffed out of the ground, thick plumes of leaves covering the gnarled, jointed branches within, like a broken rib cage spiraling outward. Even the ground under his feet crunched and creaked, as though Inigo was stepping on joints and bones.

Each sound in the night air caused his heart to pound furiously against his chest, as though Inigo’s heart wanted to squeeze its way out of his rib cage like a child finding the smallest of spaces to nestle into while playing hide and seek. Inhaling deeply Inigo attempted to calm his heart by giving it a rush of cold air, like he was attempting to apply an ice pack to his beating heart. Warm air escaped his lips into the night sky and while it wasn’t cold enough to see his breath Inigo imagined it swirling around him before disappearing. It was a fantasy best left as a fantasy. The last tail end of warmth clung to the earth bring rotting leaves under consistently melting and falling snow. Soon the seasons would permanently shift and snow would fall and stick, only increasing more and more until winter was fully upon them.

And Inigo liked being warm.

Clutching his scarf, a heavy knitted one that his mother made for him, Inigo ventured further into the woods. The path became narrower and the trees and shrubbery seemed to loom ever closer to him, as though they wanted to touch him. At his waist his sword jostled silently along with one of the protection charms from his father. Those two items should have been enough to ground Inigo with a small sense of security and protection. Instead, Inigo shrunk into himself and curled his arms around his torso, as though that was enough protection. Perhaps it was the solid warmth and weight of his arms. Inigo wasn’t going to examine the action and opted to hasten himself through the winding, narrowing path. A bit of wind rustled through and nearly caused Inigo to trip over his own feet, but he managed to steel his nerves and push on through to the edge of the forest.

The edge of the forest was up on a cliff that overlooked the dark, formless orchid below. The drop couldn’t have been more than two and half to three meters high but the steepness of it threatened to severely injure if not careful. Along the right side were more trees that sprawled into an endless thicket of pure black shapes. To his right was a small dip in the path, a sort of guiding way down the cliff. Swallowing Inigo went to the right and began to scale carefully down the slope. A few trees had grown downward and allowed Inigo to press against them for balance. Thanking them under his breath Inigo watched his feet, making sure he wasn’t going to step in a dip or hole. Twisting his ankle wouldn’t be ideal. It would cause him to spend the night outside and wait for help in the morning when his father would come looking for him. Fear and embarrassment were two strange emotions to mix yet somehow, they mixed well.

Wishing for luck Inigo kept going down the cliff side, mindful of his feet and arms. When he reached the bottom, he thanked all of the lucky stars in the night sky and gingerly stepped onto solid ground. Taking a long moment to savour the feeling of stability under his feet Inigo then pressed onward to the orchid.

Now up close the trees to the orchid weren’t formless, but rather shapes that were ever shifting and changing. The trees formed a thick ring that Inigo knew spanned quite the distance. In the morning and light the orchid was just that, an orchid. Many of the trees bore fruit that no one would dare pick, leaving it to one of two fates. Either the birds picked the fruit clean off the trees or the fruit fell and was picked at. If it wasn’t it rotted into the ground. No other animal dared to breach the orchid to take the fruit, but birds were scavengers by nature and feared no ancient, wordless magic. No human would enter the orchid either, except at night and under the right conditions.

Inigo stared at the trees for a moment. The pound of his heart returned with force and he had to take several deep gulps of air before he dug into his pockets. As his father had instructed the only items brought with him were pure iron (his sword), his charm, and the offering. The offering in question was wrapped in the broadest leaves of a shade willow tree. His father had told him if the tree was from Plegia it would have been better but Regna Ferox ones would do as a fine substitute. Inside the leaves, still green and fresh from being cut barely six hours ago, was dried lavender, Plegian cloves, and the peelings of a red-blue apple. No animal parts or blood was needed for this. In fact, his father had whispered to Inigo as he helped him with the gathering of the objects, any dead animal part would offend and cause the ritual to not work.

Clutching the package in his hand, Inigo walked into the orchid between two of the trees. There was no path and the deeper he went the taller the grass was, arching to his calves. For a while it was silence and darkness but soon Inigo burst into the middle of the clearing. It was completely unremarkable, just an open patch of land within the orchid. Inigo knelt to the ground and began to dig into the ground with his bare hands. The dirt and soil felt cold and dusty on his hands but it was important for bare skin to touch the dirt. Inigo dug and dug until he made a small but fairly deep oval. Then, he pressed the offering into the dirt before covering it with the dirt he had removed. Once the dirt was covering the offering Inigo pressed it with his hand to flatten it but not pack it in.

Satisfied with his work Inigo closed his eyes and slowly said the incantation. His father’s words filled his mind. It wasn’t about speed but proper pronunciation. Each syllable fell from his lips and tongue like molten caramel dripping off an apple. The air around him suddenly tightened and grew still before warming up, creating a strange pocket of heat and cold that rushed all around him. Inigo’s ears rang for a moment before silence popped in the air, sharp and still. Inigo opened his eyes.

Nothing.

Then something began to move around him, as though the orchid was being folded in half. Space grew shorter and then the trees began to move, as through morphing and freezing into a shape. The shape slowly towered over Inigo, a dark solid mass of trees and branches. There was no consistency with the shape, some places thin and wispy and the others wide and solid. Tree branches stuck out in random places, like the dirt had rolled into a ball, but at the top of the mass were tree branches that stuck out like the antlers to a deer. Finally, two sources of light came, spheres of pure white light that sucked all the darkness in, converting it to light. Inigo didn’t move. The pure mass of trees and branches knelt downward in a smooth curve downward, as though it wasn’t shortening its mass but rather extending itself down so it could meet Inigo.

 _“Interesting, so few yet you’ve managed to summon me.”_ The being’s voice both echoed in Inigo’s brain loudly and floated mistily in the night air.

Inigo pursed his lips together.

 _“Proper offering, proper incantation. I can see it now.”_ The being, of possible, appeared to be tilting its head. _“You have proper magician’s blood in your veins, one who knows how to summon.”_

A long tendril of darkness appeared out of its body and curled around Inigo, like an arm. It, like the air around Inigo, was both hot and cold at the same time. He didn’t move.

 _“Also aware of the proper procedure of this ritual.”_ The being’s voice rang approval. _“Speak to me, boy, why did you summon me?”_

Inigo opened his mouth but another tendril curled to his lips, as though the being was pressing a finger to silence him.

 _“There is no need to speak. I can see the reason within your heart and mind.”_ The being’s tendril around Inigo slowly loosened and let go but the one at his lips stayed. _“And I’m intrigued. To think, your reason is so pure.” The_ tendril finally left his lips. _“I’ll accept. You’re the first human in a long time to not just perform the ritual but also properly perform it. If I could have your name?”_

“It’s Inigo.” Inigo finally was able to speak. His voice was silent in the wind.

 _“Inigo.”_ The being repeated. _“Very well, Inigo. From this day onward simply call upon me and I’ll come to your aid.”_

Wind picked up around them, carrying the smell of the lavender, Plegian cloves, and red-blue apple peelings from the offering around them. Light shone from the being, both blinding and dark before it shrunk and seemed to draw in itself, like smoke being funneled away. The skin of Inigo’s arm burned for moment before fading away with a zip of light. The orchid was still and the trees still loomed darkly over Inigo. Nothing was out of place.

Inigo smiled before he stood up on shaky legs. His legs didn’t stop shaking as he journeyed home.

~

_Inigo made his first spirit pact when he was six._

_Standing at the edge of the river, Inigo clutched his father’s hand (so big, so warm) and stared up at the blossoming tree. Like them the tree was near the pond’s edge, no doubt seeking a water source. The tree’s blossoms were a soft pink which reminded Inigo of his mother’s hair. It was one of the many reasons why Inigo picked this as his first attempt to make a pact. Reaching into his pocket, Inigo pulled out his offering. His father had allowed him to carry it to the river bank and the importance of the act hadn’t been left on Inigo. He had walked the entire way with his chest puffed out, heart soaring, but now at the river bank the soaring of his heart had died down. Instead it was replaced with a flutter and pound, beating irregularly with excitement and nerves. Gripping his father’s hand tighter Inigo looked up at him. His father immediately noticed and knelt at his side, breaking their hand holding to ruffle his hair._

_“Are you ready, Inigo?”_

_“Yes, I am!” Inigo’s voice slightly squeaked out._

_“Good to hear.” Henry offered a crooked smile before he turned to the tree, gently directing Inigo’s gaze with a gentle hand on his back. “Now, first let’s bow to the tree. Flowering trees, especially cherry blossom ones, like ceremony and the traditional.”_

_Inigo nodded seriously and wobbled over to the tree, keeping a polite distance before he bowed just like his father had taught him a couple days ago._

_“Excellent.” Henry praised. “Next, you’re going to present the offering and tell the tree you’re giving it as a gift.”_

_Doing as his father instructed Inigo lifted the offering up. The offering was a beautiful sculpture made out of woven grass, dried fire berries from Regna Ferox, and a few woven strands of Inigo’s own pink hair. The hair was only there to act as something natural and pink. Inigo’s hair had been the natural choice since he was the one making the pact. Also, pink flowers, which were abundant due to spring, were out of the question. Cherry blossom trees were finicky and a touch fickle. Addressing the tree was a matter that left Inigo’s cheeks a bit pink as he fumbled carefully through the difficult words, but he managed._

_“Perfect job, Inigo. Finally, you’re going to lay the offering by the tree’s trunk.”_

_Carefully Inigo took a few steps and set the offering down, resting it on the trunk as instructed before stepping away. Scuttling back to his father, Inigo pressed himself at his side. Henry lay a warm hand on Inigo’s shoulder. For a second nothing happened, but soon a slight breeze picked up and there in front of Inigo was a small spirit._

_The spirit was about the size of a large apple. It was entirely composed of cherry blossoms, which floated and reconfigured themselves as it moved before it solidified into a bird. If Inigo had to compare the bird it was probably a chickadee. It cutely cocked its head before landing on Inigo’s head. The weight was small but Inigo still jumped at it, hands coming outward. The bird landed in his hands and chirped before speaking._

_“Hello, you summoned me you boy?”_

_Inigo looked up at his father, who gave an encouraging nod._

_“I did.” Inigo replied._

_“I like you.” The spirit said. “You’re pink.”_

_Inigo’s cheeks darkened with delight. “Thank you, I’m glad.”_

_“My services are small and limited but no doubt you’ll find use for them.” The spirit continued. “I look forward to assisting you.”_

_“Same here.” Inigo replied._

_The spirit disappeared with a light breeze, the form fading until the blossoms fluttered in the wind. Inigo’s wrist stung a bit and when he looked at it there neatly across it was the sign of their pact. It was a circle, as all pacts were, and the delicate line work inside ending with a stylised cherry blossom in the middle signaled what sort of spirit Inigo had made a contract with. Smiling widely, he lifted his arm to show his father._

_“Look! I did it!”_

_“You did!” Henry beamed widely before he scooped Inigo up and placed him on his shoulders. Inigo cried out in delight and clutched his father tightly to regain his balance. “Let’s head home and inform your mother. I’m certain she’ll be excited to hear the entire tale.”_

_Inigo nodded and laughed as they headed home, his heart soaring._

_It had only been a day later, once he celebrated with his parents his first successful spirit pact, that Inigo remembered to ask one of the most important questions._

_“Hey, what should I call you?”_

~

_There were more spirits after the cherry blossom spirit. Inigo’s next spirit was a crow, one of the many spirits from his father that decided to make a pact with him. Then, there was the wind spirit, the one that blustered and tickled Inigo’s hair as it free flowed through its various forms. So many more came about, each leaving a circle tattoo on Inigo’s body, each slightly different and distinct. With each circle on his arms, they spiralled upwards creating a mosaic on his arms at all angles. Sometimes a pact was broken off for one reason or another but in the end, Inigo always carried multiple spirits for a variety of tasks. The warmth that pooled in his heart each time he summoned a spirit to assist him was always the drive he needed to keep forming his pacts._

~

Inigo had almost missed the Plegian soldier but his spirits hadn’t. The distinct smell of burning wood and air rippled through the enclosed space of the forest. Inigo nearly tripped over his own feet, exhaustion and adrenaline duo tugging on his mind. A window of blank panic filled Inigo where exhaustion and adrenaline couldn’t quite meet up with the other. His body froze and all Inigo could do was watch as the fire barreled towards him. A loud voice in his mind screamed at him, telling Inigo to duck, to move, to do something, but in the end a bright, almost blinding light emitted from Inigo’s body, engulfing him in a cocoon.

Seconds passed and when Inigo’s mind caught up to what had transpired the Plegian soldier was on the ground and the orchid spirit was looming around Inigo, like a dark shadow that had slowly morphed into bark and leaves. Hovering over the Plegian soldier was Inigo’s crow spirit (Umbra) as though a watch needed to be kept on the Plegian soldier to make sure they were down.

 _“Pay attention, master.”_ The spirit half scolded half sighed.

“Sorry.” Inigo breathed out, steadying his footing. The muscles in his legs were wobbly and his heart rate was nearly out of this world. “Thank you, for the save.”

 _“If you die, I don’t have a master and no one else is smart enough to know how to summon me.”_ The spirit’s tone wasn’t unaffectionate.

“Right.” Inigo allowed himself a small smile. “Say, when we’re back at base we should decide together.”

_“Decide on what?”_

“A name.” Inigo clarified, flushing at forgetting to clarify. “For you. I know some spirits have names they prefer but ancient beings such as yourself have no need for the concept of human names.”

The spirit hummed, as though confirming Inigo’s words. _“If that’s what you wish.”_

“It is.” Inigo nodded.

As he nodded Umbra flew to Inigo, landing on his head, nesting in his hair. A hard beak started to poke at him and while it slightly hurt Inigo watched as some dirt and leaves were picked out.

 _“Honestly, so filthy.”_ Umbra complained.

“Sorry.” Inigo winced. “Can’t help it.”

 _“Oh, I know.”_ Umbra huffed. _“Those soldiers will pay.”_

“Yes, yes, pay for getting me dirty. What a crime. Attempted murder? That’s fine. We draw the line at getting me and my clothes filthy.”

_“Yes, you’re right.”_

Grumbling under his breath Inigo steadied his legs and forced himself to stand upright. Wiping the sweat from his brow Inigo glanced towards the horizon before hobbling down the path. His spirits stayed: the crow remaining on his head and the orchid spirit hovering, remaining a protective shield between Inigo and the world.

~

“Please. Help me.”

The rest of Anankos’s plead fell deaf to Inigo’s ears. His heart had already leapt and his mind already resolved. It was so easy to deny helping others. People often said the world was cruel but Inigo knew better. It wasn’t the world that was cruel, it was the actions of people that made it cruel. Inigo had seen, survived, and changed a cruel world. He’d also hadn’t been alone. Inigo glanced sideways at Owain and Severa and his arms tingled.

So, really, the answer to Anankos’s plead was obvious.

~

_“Orchid.” Inigo announced the moment his wounds had finished being treated by Brady._

_The tree spirit turned to him. Inigo imagined eyebrows raised. “I beg your pardon, master?”_

_“Can I call you Orchid?”_

_“Orchid.” The tone was dry. “That’s akin to naming a brown bear, brown bear.”_

_“You don’t like it? I thought you didn’t have a preference.”_

_“I never said that.” The tree spirit replied._

_“So, you do like it.” Inigo smiled and leaned against the hard stone of the cave they were hiding out in. “From now on I’m calling you Orchid.”_

_Orchid gave a long look at Inigo before fading away. Inigo smiled to himself, one of the few smiles he could afford in the apocalypse, and touched his pact mark for Orchid. Unlike the other marks, which were small to medium circles, Orchid’s pact mark took up majority of Inigo’s upper arm, spilling outward to his shoulder and upper back. The mark was still warm._

~

Valla, like the outlines of the spirits that floated around like driftwood in the vast ocean, was nothing more than an empty carcass. Long had the scavengers and vultures picked at its rotting flesh, sweltering, festering organs, and the marrow of its bones. Everything had been consumed and soon, even the leftover bones would dry up and crumble into dust.

The silence pierced Laslow at awkward angles. A dry taste filled Laslow’s mouth and his mind screamed, slamming against his skull, demanding they leave immediately.

~

**Part Two: Falling**

Xander looked up from his work long enough to witness Laslow walking into the room. Despite the fact that the weather had only just taken a dip towards cooler temperatures Laslow was somehow clad in more layers than needed. The dark sweater was clearly spun from wool and the vest overtop of it was heavy and quilted. Just staring at Laslow caused Xander’s skin to itch and his core body temperature rise slightly. Averting his gaze, since it wasn’t really any of Xander’s business to how Laslow dressed (so long as it was work appropriate), he returned to the paperwork. The side of his hand and a bit of his finger were already smudged with ink but the sack of papers at Xander’s side reminded him he still had his work cut out.

No matter how his mind grew numb and throbbed with each passing line read. Tapping his quill against the desk, Xander attempted to read the next page but the words began to blur. Sighing Xander stood up and walked to his window. A break, maybe ten minutes or so would do the trick. Fresh air would too. Didn’t Elise always say her medical books discussed the importance of going outside? Opening the curtain and then undoing the latch of the window, Xander opened it wide. A gust of cool wind blew in and ruffled the curtains as well as his papers. Inhaling deeply, Xander enjoyed the crisp air entering his lungs, washing away the smell of ink and parchment.

“Oh burr.”

Turning around Xander saw Laslow with his arms around his middle, a small sheepish grin on his face. Stepping a little bit away from the window Xander turned properly to face Laslow. The moment he did Laslow flushed a little and loosened his arms a little, as though it made him appear more formal.

“My apologies, milord.” Laslow dug into his side bag, pulling out several envelopes. “I’ve never done well in the cold.” He then handed the envelopes to Xander.

“Thank you, Laslow.”

Idly Xander flipped through the envelopes. All of them were business ones from various people of power. He set them on the desk to look for later. Looking back at Laslow, Xander caught him fiddling with his sleeves, shifting around as though a different angle of the room would help him stay warmer.

“How has your morning been? Daily duties going along smoothly?”

Laslow instantly shot Xander a warm bright smile. “My day has been going along swimmingly, milord. So many things to do yet I’m working through my list at a reasonable rate. Thanks for asking.” He added with a small wink. “I greatly appreciate it.”

For a moment Xander opened his mouth to remind Laslow about professionalism but a beat later his voice refused to come out. Instead something warm coiled in Xander’s chest at Laslow’s wink, as though the tension of work had ebbed slightly away. Shaking the warmth away Xander focused his attention back on professionalism. Readying himself to dismiss Laslow, Xander barely got a syllable out when a gust of wind blew in causing Laslow to violently shiver and sneeze. Jolting very slightly at the sound, Xander immediately reached for a handkerchief from his desk drawer and offered it to Laslow.

“Sorry, milord.” Laslow said from behind his hands, a bit of pink dusted across his cheeks, as he reached for the handkerchief.

“It’s fine.” Xander pressed the cloth into Laslow’s hand.

“It’s the weather.” Laslow idly said as he cleaned himself up. “I’ve never done well in cold.” He offered a lopsided smile as he finished, folding the cloth and tucking it into one of his pockets.

“Everyone’s different. In fact—"

Xander’s sentence trailed off as his eyes caught the line of Laslow’s arm to his pocket. The motion had caused the sleeve to push upward, exposing some of Laslow’s arm, a small window of space from his gloves to his shirt. There, where pale skin was showing were also dark lines, curving naturally along the shape of Laslow’s arm. Some writing, similar to magic circles was sprawled against the skin as well but at the angle, distance, and little to see, Xander couldn’t make out anything in particular. A small bit of Xander’s mind disjointed for a solid second none the less, as his brain suddenly reminded Xander that he’d never seen Laslow’s bare arms. Not because of any strict, particular reason beyond professional wardrobe and temperate ones.

“Milord?”

Snapping his gaze upward to Laslow’s face Xander coughed and composed his thoughts. He’d discovered that Laslow had tattoos. So what? It wasn’t uncommon, as the art had spread through both Hoshido and Nohr, each with different traditional styles. And if Laslow kept them under his shirt, not exposing them to everyone else that was his business. Perhaps he feared they signaled a lack of professionalism? Maybe Xander could find a way to casually bring the topic up and potentially ease some of Laslow’s unspoken worries?

“Forgive me. It’s been a long morning.” Xander offered a gesture to his paper stack.

“Oh, right.” Laslow reached up with his other arm and rubbed his hair. “I’ll let you get back to your work, milord.” He half turned to the door before pausing and turning around. “Uh, if I may be excused?”

“Yes, you may.”

Laslow gave one more smile before he left the room with a soft click of the door. Xander stared at the door for a moment before he turned back to his work. First, he went to the window and shut it a bit more, not out right closing it but rather keeping it ajar. Then, he sat back down at his desk, shoved his swirling thoughts about Laslow aside, and returned to his work.

~

The next day, with all his paperwork done, Xander focused on cleaning up his office space. After throwing out some scribbled or torn paper into a bin for fire kindling, Xander gathered some books. They had been borrowed from the library, mainly for reference. While he didn’t have a lot of books, they were heavy, forcing Xander to make multiple trips to the library. As he did this, he took a short cut past the armoury and supply rooms. Servants bustled around him and some even offered to assist, but Xander brushed them aside gently, assuring them he was fine. Doors were also open as people moved in and out of them. Xander had to dodge multiple people, ducking closer to the rooms in order to avoid others.

It was as he was moving closer to the supply room that Xander spotted Laslow. He was in there, as he should be since his job was to take inventory. The door was slightly open but even with the small window of sight, Xander could clearly make out all of Laslow. He had a small fire going in the supply room’s fire place, no doubt to keep himself warm as he worked through the inventory. He also had his gloves off and sleeves slightly rolled up as he worked. A bit counter productive but what mattered in that moment was the direct visual of his arms.

The lines that had been curving naturally around Laslow’s arm turned out to be magic circles. They were also on both arms, not just one. Multiple circles pressed against one another in a mesmerising pattern. Once again at the distance Xander was at he couldn’t make out the words on each individual circle but that didn’t matter. Magic circles. What an interesting choice of tattoos. Laslow had never shown an inclination towards magic. Also, even though Xander wasn’t as familiar with magic as Leo, there weren’t a lot of spells that benefited by having the circle tattooed on the body.

“Sir, is everything all right?”

Xander nearly jumped as he turned to see a servant a polite distance away, their voice pitched just loud enough to be heard but not loud enough for Laslow to hear. Their brow was furrowed with the right amount of concern.

“My apologies.” Xander stepped away from the door and adjusted his grip on the books. “Everything is all right.”

He left and continued his journey to the library, the image of Laslow’s arms swirling in his mind, leaving only questions in its wake.

~

Questions that remained unanswered as a couple of weeks later Corrin ran off, rejecting both Nohr and Hoshido.

Or rather, the questions about Laslow were merely overshadowed by ones surrounding Corrin.

~

Traveling through the forest to the Canyon was a journey many did not wish to take. Xander had spent many years sitting through stories (both for entertainment and for his job) hearing about the spiney ground. Rock and dirt had mixed together and then worn away to create rocks stuck within but sticking out sharp and ragged. Trees grew tall and thin and their roots broke upwards, threatening to catch and ensnare everything that crossed its path. Under the dying sunlight of the day, everything took a dark red orange tint, as though the plant life wanted to absorb as much of the sun before night took its place.

Carefully swatting a low hanging branch from his face, Xander pressed his horse gingerly onward. A small part of his heart couldn’t help but wonder what Corrin had been thinking. Time had slipped from Xander’s grasp between the tension in his heart over what Corrin had done, what state his family was in, and the pressure of his father. What was right conflicted with what needed to be done. Duty and family pulled within Xander’s heart in a tug of war that seemingly wasn’t going to end. Even considering to listen to Corrin had been a big gamble and Xander was still trying to fish for his cards.

His horse buckled slightly, jarring Xander. He looked down to see the path, which had become narrower and more delicate, but the height was increasing. The combined weight of a horse and himself would no doubt threaten to break the soil and potentially drop everyone down the cliff that the path was winding towards. Glancing to the side, Xander spotted the slope of the ground levelling out into a wider path that soon came upon a slight rise to the Canyon.

“Lord Xander, your orders?” One of the soldiers inquired.

No doubt the best plan was to veer to the wider ground. However, given their lack of vision on what lay ahead perhaps sending someone over was the best option. Xander took another look at the path ahead of him. Even without precise measurements it was clear that the more delicate path was the shortcut. The ground also wasn’t entirely unstable just not suitable for the weight of horses and their riders (not to mention the armour the soldiers were wearing).

“Listen up.” Xander raised his voice slightly. “The path ahead of us is narrow, easily could cave in under the weight of rider and horse. The more stable ground is this wider path to the side. However, what lies ahead of us is uncertain. We don’t know what plans may await us, so I’m sending a small scouting party ahead. Those of you on horses, start heading to the wider path.”

“Sir!”

More than half of his soldiers began to move towards the wider path, including Peri, who gave one cheerful smile at Xander before practically galloping off. He took a deep breath and hoped Peri didn’t become bored in the span it took for him to send a scouting party to perform quick recon. Then, he turned to the remaining soldiers. He didn’t need to send all of them and preferably the quicker ones.

“Laslow.” Xander called out.

“Yes, milord?” Laslow edged himself out from the crowd.

“I’m sending you to take the narrower path. Once you’re there scout the area ahead. Use the normal signals to indicate what you see. Take a dozen or so of these soldiers to assist you.”

“Milord.” Laslow gave a firm nod before he turned to the crowd.

He quickly selected the soldiers before heading towards the narrower path. Xander waited for just a moment, making sure everyone was headed in the right direction before he began to move. As his horse trotted to the wider path, Xander turned his head to watch Laslow’s team start their cross of the narrower path. At the angle Xander was now at he could see the trenches along the side of the path, see the narrow, dark fall that mimicked the Bottomless Canyon just up ahead. Shivering, Xander was barely at the beginning of the wider path when a loud sound filled the air.

Stopping his horse with a sharp tug, Xander’s body shook with the vibrations from the sound and the sudden tremor in the ground. A loud, long crack broke free of the ground, curving and running with the speed of a predator after its prey. Laslow’s team had frozen in their tracks and Xander watched, almost in slow motion, as the ground gave way under them. Then, the air left his lungs as gravity took a hold. Eyes widened and Xander was plummeting, air picking up around him. His horse was thrashing and giving distressed whines that pierced his ears. Wincing, Xander shut his eyes.

This was it. This was how he died. There was no way he could scramble up or attempt to save himself. The world worked in cruel ways and it was an unpredictable, uncontrollable event that killed him. Xander’s heart ached. He never got to apologise to Corrin for his harsh words. He never got to give them a chance. Leo, Camilla, Elise… he wouldn’t be able to…

A bright light exploded from in front of Xander’s closed lids, the light even piercing when panic had closed his vision off. Then, the air stopped whirling around him, gravity unable to tug at him. Air returned to Xander’s lungs and he let out a huge gasp as his brain kicked in, forcing Xander to inhale and open his eyes.

All around him were dark branches, curled and nestled in a jumble of twists and coils. It was as though the branches had formed around Xander hastily, like they had purposefully been grown to save him. For a moment, Xander looked around wondering if Leo had arrived, but then his brain reminded him that Leo’s tome grew thorny vines and the magnitude of the spell was something Leo could not do.

The branches suddenly shifted and began to pull upwards, bringing Xander higher and higher from the cliff side. As he moved Xander caught the side of the broken ground, watching the fresh dirt crumble with an earthy smell.

“Lord Xander!”

Looking to the right Xander was finally able to see the extent of the damage. The cliff way had indeed crumbled in large jagged chunks, as though a child had cut a cake with a butter knife but had left a small sliver between the last slice and this one. It had been that sliver of dirt that Xander had seen, essentially blocking him from seeing the wider damage.

The entire space where Laslow’s team had been was done, but Xander’s heart didn’t have time to plummet as he caught the source of the branches. In the middle was Laslow, his shoulder and part of his back glowing. A wispy, almost shadow like creature was holding him, eyes merely a void of white light. The shadow extended outward and had solidified into many branches, as though it was part shadow and part tree.

For the first time in weeks Xander’s brain reminded him of the tattoos he’d seen on Laslow’s arm, how they’d been magic circles. Laslow, who only used swords, who preferred fancy footwork akin to dancers when battling. Laslow, who liked to flirt in town and sent charming winks and laughs to all he met. Laslow who apparently could use magic.

The branches set Xander down along with his horse, who had stopped neighing in fear and surprise (how had Xander blocked that out?) on solid ground. Immediately Xander’s legs wobbled and he had to grab onto the side of his horse to steady himself. Silently Xander watched as the shadow tree creature deposited the group Laslow had taken to the side that had been their goal before it turned and moved towards Xander, Laslow in tow.

“Are you all right, milord?” Laslow called out when he was closer. Xander could see a pale dusting across his face.

What to say? Xander’s mind couldn’t stop staring at Laslow’s shoulder, which had stopped glowing. Layers of clothing still remained but Xander could easily envision the magic circles darkly etched on Laslow’s skin. His body was also still trembling at the memory of gravity taking a hold of him.

“Lord Xander?”

Also, why had Laslow hidden his magical abilities, because this was obviously magic. Yet, it was magic Xander hadn’t seen before. Glancing at the shadow tree creature, Xander concluded it was a spirit. Spirit summons weren’t uncommon but required a lot of set up and were more native to Hoshido and their traditional spiritual teachings. Yet, this wasn’t like Hoshido’s. Xander had never seen Hoshido’s spirit summons but he had read and heard about them from Leo. The common theme was set up. Set up and more set up.

_“Calm down, kid. He’s obviously shaken from nearly falling. Give him a moment.”_

All of Xander’s thoughts snapped firmly away as he stared upward. The spirit had spoken, clear as day.

“Ah, of course.” Laslow rubbed his head. “My apologies, Lord Xander. Here, lets get you over to the other side where a healer can take a look at you.” He paused. “You are all right, though yes?”

“I…” Xander’s voice forced itself through his throat. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, good.” Laslow exhaled roughly before extending his hand. “Come, Orchid will take us over. Your horse included.”

“Orchid.” Xander repeated to himself before his brain caught up to his mouth. “Laslow,” What to ask? So many questions. “Not to sound pushy, however an explain would be appreciated.” Facts. Those were what Xander needed.

“Ah, um.” Silence.

 _“Oh, come on, kid.”_ Orchid sighed. _“He has a pact with me. I come to his aid when required. Easy.”_

Easy. As if that explanation didn’t open more questions. “Spirit? Pact?”

 _“Ever since he was a teenager.”_ Orchid added, as though that helped clarify.

“Orchid!”

_“What? Were you going to leave him hanging? He deserves to know a little bit; he nearly died.”_

“I know, I know.” Laslow fiddled with his belt to his sword. “It’s just—” He turned to Xander. “I’ll explain everything later, milord. For now, let’s focus on meeting up with Corrin.”

Priorities. The two desires: knowledge of the ability his retainer had hidden for years and to know what Corrin was planning clashed in his mind. Xander wanted to grasp both of them at the same time but the more pressing matter won.

“Thank you, Laslow. I appreciate your willingness to be forthcoming. However, you are right. Let’s meet with Corrin. We can discuss everything else later.”

Laslow managed a smile despite his pale complexion. “Of course, milord.”

~

Whirlwind after whirlwind of revelations flooded Xander, nearly drowning him with information. Only when he was in his tent in Corrin’s pocket dimension that Xander finally managed to tug Laslow along with him for some privacy. The tent Xander was in was fairly spacious with a comfortable looking bed and a small desk for writing out battle plans. Immediately Xander flopped down heavily on his bed. Laslow remained standing upright.

“At ease, Laslow.” Xander said before he patted the space beside him. “Take a seat.”

“Ah, thank you, Lord Xander.” Laslow carefully loosened up and walked to the bed, staring at it for a moment before sitting down.

A long stretch of silence filled the tent. Xander leaned into the bed and kept his mouth shut. Laslow began to pick at his sleeves before he very carefully took his gloves off. Sleeves were rolled up a second later, revealing the circles. Lifting one of his arms, Laslow turned it carefully, allowing Xander to see them in detail.

“My father was a very powerful mage.” Laslow started softly. “He had so much passion and knowledge for the art. Where I’m from spirits are common place and making pacts with them are common too. I was taught from a very young age how to communicate with them, how to form pacts with them, and how to break pacts if needed.”

Laslow then angled his body over so if Xander wanted to he could touch Laslow’s arm. His fingers tingled but he didn’t move his arms.

“Orchid is one of my spirits. When we form pacts, the spirit comes to our aid. Many spirits have different forms and tasks they can do.”

Laslow snapped his fingers. One of the circles by his wrist glowed and a moment later a flurry of cherry blossoms appeared. First, they were formless but soon swirled into the shape of a small bird. The bird plopped down on Laslow’s finger, as though it was a branch to perch on.

“This is Maria.” Laslow introduced. “She’s the first spirit I ever made a pact with.”

Maria puffed her chest out, the feathers ruffling. _“Of course, I am.”_ Her voice was prideful and smooth, like the noble women Xander had spent his life around.

“I love you too, Maria.” Laslow gently petted her head before he dropped his arm. Maria flew up and nestled on the top of Laslow’s head. “I have more spirits but we’d be here for a while if I introduced them all.”

He paused. “When I arrived in Nohr I quickly learned that summoning spirits are not common here. I didn’t wish to stand out even more so I hid the power. I didn’t mean for it to be some big secret, but somewhere along the way I suppose it became that anyways.”

Summoning spirits. A common practice. Where in the world had Laslow lived to have such a thing so wide spread? Xander’s mouth burned but he didn’t ask. Pasts were pasts and forcing someone to reveal something wasn’t proper. Even if a large part of Xander’s self preservation screamed at the uncertainty. Laslow was trustworthy. Xander had picked him regardless of his past to be his retainer and this news wasn’t going to change that decision.

“Lord Xander?”

“My apologies for being so quiet. I’ve had a lot to absorb these past few days.” Xander slowly started. “Thank you for giving me an explanation.”

Laslow’s eyes widened and he tilted his head. A long stretch waited where Xander suddenly wondered if he should say more, but Laslow immediately stood up.

“No, thank you, milord. I… know this is very vague but there are—” Laslow shook his head. “Never mind. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer. I promise.”

He turned to leave the tent. Xander’s heart spiked for a moment. Standing up he reached out but stumbled under his still exhausted legs. The reach turned into a back hug. Laslow froze along with Xander but Xander managed to control himself and lightly hug Laslow, hiding his stumble. Now that they were close Xander could smell the cherry blossoms from the spirit on Laslow’s head. The smell suited him.

“Thank you again, Laslow, for saving me.” Xander softly said.

“N-not a problem, Lord Xander.”

Carefully Xander untangled himself from Laslow. There were still a lot of things for Xander to sort through, emotions he could examine later. For now, this was enough.

“Take a good rest tonight.” Xander commanded. “Corrin tells me there is a nice hot spring here. Take advantage of it.”

“O-of course. If you’ll excuse me.”

Laslow left and the smell of cherry blossoms lingered in the tent.

**Author's Note:**

> Liking being warm: Inigo/Laslow is someone who strikes me as someone who gets cold very easily and thus wears many layers.
> 
> The ritual: I made it all up and just played around with the scene.
> 
> Henry as Inigo's father: My default choice for Inigo's father. Plus, it really helped me created the tone of spirit summoning as an art passed down to Inigo.
> 
> The pacts: As I said in my opening notes I was inspired by some fanart I saw of Solomon from Obey Me. The art showed multiple pact tattoos all over his body and that aesthetic alone is my entire jam.
> 
> Cherry blossom spirit: I honestly just wanted a pink flower because pink makes me think of Olivia and Inigo.
> 
> Pink Haired Inigo: My other default. I'm so weak to it.
> 
> Naming a brown bear brown bear: When we were young my sister named one of her stuffed animals "pink bear" (it was a pink bear, not that I was any better. I had a red and white bear. You can guess the name). It's been an inside joke between us still and I wanted to reference that here.
> 
> Xander's reaction: Honestly I had a hard time writing the entire reaction and explanation scenes. I wanted to balance out his shock and desire to know what's happening with a respectful, understanding tone. Xander trusts Laslow yet he does deserve some sort of explanation.
> 
> Kid: Orchid calls Laslow "kid" since they prefer to call him "Inigo" but respect the entire "changed appearance and name" thing going on here.
> 
> Maria: I envisioned the cherry blossom spirit to be sort of like Maribelle in personality and so I wanted a name to reflect that.


End file.
